


The View from East Urden

by orbitium



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Grief/Mourning, Original Character(s), Psychological Trauma, maybe dementors are good actually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 17:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29372394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orbitium/pseuds/orbitium
Summary: Seeking shelter from the rain, Harry finds a house with a dark secret inside. Still grieving the loss of his godfather Sirius Black, he begins to understand how to carry the memory of love.
Kudos: 2





	The View from East Urden

"Here we are," Pell gasped as the two of them crowded damply onto the porch. The chilly rain rattled across the rooftops and the pavement stones down the entire street. Shivering somewhat, she produced a key and pushed open the door, and she and Harry more or less fell into the house. It was mercifully dry. Warm, too, on account of the great stone hearth snapping and crackling in the kitchen. 

"Now there's one thing I should warn you about," Pell said as she clambered out of her boots onto the wooden floorboards. "I never know how to tell people this, but—". She never got a chance to finish. Harry's hair stood on end as he saw the strange tall shape rising and gliding out of one of the dim back rooms. It looked utterly wrong in that place, a trembling black shroud billowing toward them among the comfortable clutter. As the creature breathed in, the red hearth became pale and feeble; the frozen air felt suddenly thick with sorrow. Harry's breath began rasping in his chest as he fumbled for his wand, snapping it toward the creature. There was a lump in his throat, now, and he couldn't cast the spell. _Focus_ , he thought fiercely. "Expecto Patr—!" 

"No, hold on, it's alright!" Pell said urgently, pulling his hand aside. "Just give me a minute; I'll send it out". She proceeded to push insistently against the specter, shoving it toward the back room. Looking towering and solemn in its black cloak, it billowed and slunk obligingly backwards. In moments, Harry was left alone, his heart still thumping. The room began to thaw, and he once again heard the storm battering the rooftop and windows. Harry was still trying to breathe normally by the time Pell had gently latched the door closed and returned. 

"Sorry," she said, as she led Harry toward the table in the kitchen. "I know Dementors make some people uncomfortable. I'll keep it in my brother's room while we're here, okay?" 

"Why—do you _have_ —that thing?" Harry said, between breaths. To his surprise, his words sounded angry. 

Pell began putting a kettle on. "My brother died around three years ago.", she began. Harry stared, and the memory of Sirius Black tore silently through him. "I remember even right after it happened, I was just focused on doing right by him. I spent all my time trying to be happy and keeping up his prison work, not realizing I was drowning. I had no idea how to live, really, until Shadow showed up." She checked Harry's expression. "Its name is Shadow," she added unnecessarily. 

There was a thoughtful pause. "You know, Dementors don't really make you depressed the way the Ministry says. I know what it feels like to feel numbed to nothing, and Dementors don't do that. They just…disarm you, don't they? It's like they pull up whatever grief you've been hiding from." 

Warming to the subject, she added enthusiastically, "And I don't think they're all that evil, actually. Everyone calls them Dark creatures, but what does that even mean? They take down the walls we fool ourselves with, and in return we try to beat them back with cheerfulness, ugh." she grimaced pointedly. "I can't imagine what that does to your psyche. You're much better off inviting it in, aren't you? Most of the time, Shadow just lurks around a favorite nook, or holes up in my brother's room, looking over his old clothes and drawings and things. It's really attached to them, which is sweet." 

Pell sighed sadly, though she smiled a bit. "Shadow helps me remember, and I love it because of that. Remembering hurts the way it's supposed to when you love someone very much." 


End file.
